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Originally Posted by protector2814
I've never had the armor properly explained to me. Why is he still sporting it? Why did he, all the sudden, start bleeding on Planet Hulk? I must have missed this being explained.
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I'm lifting this reply I put up on another forum in regards to a question on the Hulk's strength. It answers what happened to the Hulk in terms of his powers while on Sakaar.
The armor the Hulk wears is largely what he wore during his time on Sakaar when engaged in both single gladiatorial combat and when he led his forces in revolt against the ruler of Sakkar, the Red King.
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Originally Posted by SirReef link=topic=78.msg5201#msg5201 date=1184940529
I know we're supposed to buy into this whole "the angrier he gets, the stronger he gets angle" ... but it's getting old and we're only two issues in.
The Avengers were able to put Hulk down, the X-Men should be able to put Hulk down, etc. But, right now, he's just mopping them up like they are yesterday's urine encrusted around an old train station toilet. It's silly. There is no drama, there is no challenge.
Right now, the Hulk is feeling like Superman right now and Superman is perhaps the most boring character around. Maybe he can come in and fight Hulk (or his Marvel copy can).
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It isn't solely about "the angrier he gets, the stronger he gets...” The Hulk has always potentially been capable of near-limitless strength. What has changed over time is his starting level or "calm state" physical strength. From about 50 tons when he first appeared and during his grey phase, to 70 tons during most of his history, to Class 100 in recent years, the Hulk's base strength has been steadily increasing.
Following his experiences on Planet Sakaar, The Hulk has gone far beyond the strength level of other Class 100 listed characters such as Hercules, Wonder Man and Colossus. This is because of three factors, as depicted during the planet Hulk story arc;
1- Passage through the warp portal that brought him to the alien planet also significantly drained his strength and invulnerability. As he struggled in combat after combat, he was forced to push himself far more than had he retained his full power. I propose, just as we had seen with the She Hulk when she fought the Fallen One (the former Champion of the Universe), that the Hulk conditioned his already massive form through the intense combat, while deminished by the portal. As the effects of the portal wore off, his strength returned to a higher level than before his arrival.
2- The radiation of the explosion that destroyed his shuttle and devastated Sakaar was absorbed by the Hulk, adding to his existing levels of gamma radiation in his body, pushing his strength, regenerative powers and invulnerability higher.
3 - As the Hulk's strength is proportional to his emotional state, because of the loss of his wife, unborn child and yet another chance for happiness, at no time during World War Hulk are we seeing a calm Hulk. More so, he has more reason to be angrier than ever before. The only reason he isn't an insane berserker at all times is because he has focused his anger on the Illuminati and through the mental discipline techniques of Hiroim, one of the Warbound.
Apart from just his increased power levels, the Hulk has also learned the art of war through the experiences of gladiatorial combat and leading armies in battle. He has also become willing to kill to achieve his goals.
As far as your point about the Avengers being able to defeat the Hulk, I think back to the massive West Coast/ East Coast Avengers brawl against the mindless Hulk in The Incredible Hulk #331 and #332. In the end despite having twenty of so Avengers on hand including such powerhouses as Iron Man, Wonder Man, Hercules, Namor, She Hulk, and Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) it was only the fact that the Hulk's strength hit a maximum, due to his separation from Bruce Banner, which allowed them to defeat him.
In that fight and also in the recent X-Men battles during WWH, despite their numbers, it’s only the most powerful of the heroes that can even hurt the Hulk. The non-dreadnought types only serve to distract and barely slow down the Hulk. The only problem I had with the X-Men WWH mini-series so far is the whole inability of Professor X to mentally subdue the Hulk. I know this was explained as a consequence of the Hulk's insane level of anger, it seems a little forced and unbelievable, though necessary as otherwise there would be no fight and no mini-series.
As far as the Sentry, for as of yet unexplained reasons, he's being kept out of the fight for now, but we do know he shows up in the last issue of WWH
If it was just the Hulk on his own, plowing through every superhero in the Marvel Universe, I would agree with your statement that it is silly, despite his new levels of strength. But he isn't. The Warbound are all seasoned veterans of war, some of whom have strength equaling that of the strongest of the heroes they are fighting. In addition, while we have yet to see them do much, we also know that some of Earth's heroes will stand with the Hulk (Hercules, Namora, Angel and others). I think this straight forward, action oriented comics event is among the best I've read from Marvel in a long time.
